Reaction and analysis of Broncos signing Ronald Leary

Reaction and analysis of Broncos signing Ronald Leary

Well, Denver fans, you wanted offensive line help, and John Elway went out on the first day of free agency and found some. Former Dallas Cowboys guard Ronald Leary was signed to a four-year deal worth more than $35 million on Thursday.

This is a big move for a team that struggled along the offensive line last season and that has really been the case for a few years now. Leary will come in and be an immediate starter who will upgrade the guard position after having played on arguably the league’s best offensive line for the last handful of seasons in Dallas.

Pundits may be quick to point to the fact that Leary was benched in favor of former LSU offensive lineman La’el Collins last season, but Collins was a projected top 10 pick in the 2015 NFL draft before legal problems proved disastrous for him. Still, Leary stepped in during Week 3 of last season after a toe injury ended Collins’ season. Not only that, but Leary arguably performed better than Collins as he didn’t allow a single sack. In addition, he was as good as any lineman Dallas had as a blocker in the running game. You might remember that Ezekiel Elliott led the league in rushing behind that line.

Related

Fans can point to the quarterback all they want when handing out blame for the Broncos’ 9-7 season last year, in which they failed to make the playoffs, but the running game needs help. As a team, the Broncos averaged just 3.6 yards per carry last year and had just four run plays go for more than 20 yards.

That isn’t going to get it done.

So while the Broncos still need to address the tackle position and get a strong pass protector, the signing of Leary is an excellent move. Back in December, I talked about five free agents the Broncos should target this offseason. Leary was on that list, so obviously, I love this move.

Though other free-agent targets such as Danny Woodhead, Chris Baker and Calais Campbell have all gone elsewhere, this was a terrific move by Elway. Leary will be 28 years old in April and should be playing with the Broncos and opening big holes in the running game for many years to come.